Pau Gasol got his championship ring on Tuesday, however he wasn’t able to play due to a sore hamstring. Diagnosed with a strained right hamstring, Gasol’s injury is expected to keep him out only a matter of days.
While Gasol is out, the fantasy basketball value of many of his teammates will be high. Andrew Bynum will get more touches in the low block with Gasol out, which makes him a better fantasy player. Lamar Odom will also get more playing time.
Once Gasol is able to get back on the court, he’ll continue to be a valuable fantasy basketball player. He’s …read more

Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a well publicized contractual argument. The Lakers think they’ve offered Odom a fair deal, while Odom seems to want more money. As a result, the Lakers have reportedly pulled their contract offer.
In the fantasy basketball world, this is a unique situation in that it’d be good for his fantasy value to go elsewhere. On the Lakers, he’s destined for a sixth man role. As Andrew Bynum grows as a player, Odom will see his time dip more and more.
However, if Odom signs elsewhere (or is traded), he would likely start …read more

Rudy Fernandez took a hard tumble late in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Portland Trail Blazers rookie swingman was going up for a layup when Trevor Ariza hit him across the back of his head. After laying on the ground for many minutes, he was eventually taken off the court on a stretcher.
Thankfully, reports after the game indicate that Fernandez wasn’t seriously injured. All X-Rays were negative and he was basically just battered and bruised. At the most, Fernandez could miss a couple of games.
As for Ariza, he got a flagrant foul penalty two and was …read more

After Andrew Bynum injured his knee against the Memphis Grizzlies, many Los Angeles Lakers fans feared the worst. While Bynum apparently avoided serious injury, he has been diagnosed with a torn MCL. The recovery time for such an injury is typically 8-to-12 weeks.
For fantasy basketball owners who own Bynum, this isn’t very good news. If he misses the full 12 weeks, that means he’ll miss the rest of the regular season. Even if he misses only eight weeks, he’ll be back only for the last two weeks of the regular season. The only hope for Bynum owners is that he …read more

Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic
Hedo Turkoglu has had a habit recently of alternating good seasons. Last year he played really well, so that’s not a good sign for the 2008-09 campaign. Additionally, the Magic will try to play more with Rashard Lewis at small forward, which could then force Turkoglu out of position. He should have a good season but last year was likely his peak.
Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers
With Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol up front, expect the Lakers to try Lamar Odom at small forward. Odom has been pretty decent at small forward in the past but he could …read more

The Atlanta Hawks and restricted free agent Josh Smith don’t appear to be getting closer to agreeing to a new contract. Reports indicate that the Hawks have offered Smith at least $11M a year but Smith wants more.
With free agent money dried up around the NBA, Smith appears likely to either re-sign with the Hawks or be traded in a sign-and-trade deal. If Smith is indeed involved in a sign-and-trade deal, where would he end up? Here are the leading possibilities:
Detroit Pistons – The Pistons have a lot of veteran player who they are willing to offer …read more

The Golden State Warriors signed French forward Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet that the Los Angeles Lakers declined to match. Turiaf is now official a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Turiaf isn’t an overly skilled player and he doesn’t have great size, however he hustles and he brings boundless energy to the court. He’s also a good shotblocker and has an emerging jump shot.
While Turiaf likely won’t start for the Warriors, he’ll be one of the first bigs off the bench. And with the way Don Nelson likes to run the ball up and down the …read more

Point Guard
Boston – Rajon Rondo
Lakers – Derek Fisher
ADVANTAGE: Lakers. Rondo can’t shoot and Fisher has championship experience.
Shooting Guard
Boston – Ray Allen
Lakers – Kobe Bryant
ADVANTAGE: Lakers. As long as he can steer clear of Vanessa Curry or any other Laker Girl, Kobe should dominate.
Small Forward
Boston – Paul Pierce
Lakers – Vladimir Radmanovic
ADVANTAGE: Celtics. Pierce has to play great for Boston to win this series.
Power Forward
Boston – Kevin Garnett
Lakers – Lamar Odom
ADVANTAGE: Celtics. Odom can do a lot but he’s no KG.
Center
Boston – Kendrick Perkins
Lakers – Pau Gasol
ADVANTAGE: Lakers. As long as Gasol doesn’t choke, he should dominate …read more

The Los Angeles Lakers are about to begin their play in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Who have been the best players on the Lakers during their 2008 playoff run? Let’s take a look:
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant hasn’t only been the best player on the Lakers all season, he’s been the best player in the NBA. He was named 2008 NBA MVP for a reason and he has repeatedly shown that reason throughout the playoffs. He’s averaging more than 30 points and approximately six rebounds and six assists per game in the playoffs.
Pau Gasol
In …read more

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Spurs in Game 5 to advance to the NBA Finals. On Friday, the Boston Celtics topped the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 to meet the Lakers in the 2008 Finals. With the NBA championship on the line, the NBA’s two most storied franchises will face off.
Both teams entered the playoffs as the number one seed in their conference. The Lakers came out of the Western Conference by leaning on Kobe Bryant’s MVP skills. The Celtics are led by the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
Boston’s …read more